Minnesota Fish Families
Summary
Students will be introduced to Minnesota Fish from their local area. Students will sort, identify, and classify fish using the fish cards provided in the MinnAqua lesson.
CollapseLearning Goals
The student will classify pictures of local fish from observations.
Context for Use
The lesson is for a classroom size of 28 fourth grade students. I would group the students into small cooperative groups of 4 students per group. I plan on the lesson taking 60 minutes for the fish family identification. You will need 7 sets of the fish cards printed from the MinnAqua website, chapter 2, lesson 3.
Description and Teaching Materials
1. I will bring in a live fish from our local lake to introduce the lesson to the students. I will also bring a fish replica to introduce the characteristics of a fish.
2. Each student will draw a picture of a fish and label and describe characteristics they are familiar with. 3. I will then divide the students into cooperative groups of 4 students each. I will give each group a set of cards of Minnesota fish. Each group will need to group the fish according to their characteristics. I would have each group share with the large group how they have their fish sorted. 4. Next, I would share a poster and a book that I have from the MinnAqua Program from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources of pictures of Minnesota fish. 5. I would ask the students if their groups could group their fish differently from the first time they grouped them. I will provide ten minutes to work on this activity.I would have each small group share with the large group how they sorted their fish cards and why they sorted them that way.
6. As a closure each student would journal what they learned today in their science journal and draws a picture of and labels the characteristics of one fish they learned about today.Materials for this lesson can be found in Chapter 2 Lesson 3, "Fish Families," lesson from the website: http://www.mndnr.gov/minnaqua
Teaching Notes and Tips
It is helpful to have the pictures printed onto cardstock using a color printer. It is also helpful to have several of the Minnesota fish posters for the students to look at.
Assessment
I would have each cooperative group share how they grouped their fish cards and why to the large group. I would also have each individual student draw and label a fish that we learned about in their Science Journals to be turned in.
Standards
3.4.1.1.2 Identify common groups of animals using observable physical characteristics